Tembec production halted due to strike at Temiscaming lumber mill

Canadian multinational paper company Tembec Inc. halted production at its Temiscaming lumber mill, in Quebec near the border of Ontario, following a strike by workers late on Wednesday.

The Montreal-based company informed on Thursday that 650 unionized workers staged a walk-out at the plant. The mill employs 850 workers, 200 of whom are not unionized.

The union and Tembec management have been in talks since August regarding the 4-year collective agreement which expired at the end of September.

Tembec, which had planned to complete the installation of a boiler and turbine at the mill by the middle of December, announced today that this will be delayed.

In a statement, Tembec said:

“The Company is monitoring the situation very closely and is putting into place measures to minimize the impact on its customers.”

The Tembec Temiscaming industrial complex is the lifeblood of the town.

Tembec manufactures forest products – specialty cellulose, paper, pulp and lumber. It claims to be a world leader in sustainable forest management practices. Its principle operations are in Canada and France.

The company employs about 3,500 workers and has annual sales of about $1.6 billion. It is listed in the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker TMB.